HOW DO I TRUST GOD IN THE PROCESS

I’m someone that hasn’t really had a fair share of trust issues, but when it came to trusting GOD with my life and all its decisions, it was never really easy. I either felt like I wanted to be in control of the outcome, or I already knew what GOD wanted of me, but I didn’t want to let go. Trusting GOD can look different for many people, it could be leaving that long lasting relationship not knowing what’s waiting on the other side. Quitting that job that continues to drain you and start the business GOD placed or your heart, or simply using a gift GOD blessed you with to spread his word.

In Psalm 9:10 it says “trust in The LORD and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness. Delight yourself in The LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart.” In Psalm 28:7 it also says, “The LORD is my strength and my shield; in HIM my heart trusts and I am helped.” In trusting GOD, you are allowing his many qualities to shine through, it shows you believe in what he can do, you see HIS strength, HIS love and HIS honesty. When you trust GOD you are saying you trust that HE is faithful and true to his word, you are saying you believe he is the omnibenevolent GOD he says HE is and, you believe HIS power and abilities are sufficient enough to get you out of any situation. When it comes to trusting GOD, you may not always see the rainbow straight away, sometimes you may need to cry a bit, but with trusting GOD, you will see that rainbow eventually. You may not understand why HE’S doing something, but later on you will thank HIM. Job didn’t understand why he was going through his version of hell on earth, he lost everything, and people mocked him, his friends abandoned him, and his wife said to him ‘why do you still cling onto your integrity and trust GOD, curse GOD and die.’ (talk about supportive wife). We know Job didn’t lose his trust in The LORD otherwise he wouldn’t have passed the test. He did however ask GOD for the purpose of his suffering and GOD only replied with some questions of HIS own (Job 38). Now I don’t know about you, but for anyone else, you can’t answer a question with another question, but GOD did. In other words, Job didn’t get his answer. Anyone else, would’ve just thrown in the towel because you’re telling me I have to trust something I don’t understand. Although he didn’t get his answer, Job had to trust that GOD would pull him out of this hard time eventually. In staying firm in his trust and faith in GOD, Job was able to come out of that situation smiling more than he ever had.

As human beings, we always want things to make sense to us before we can even begin to understand it, but not with GOD. We are told to ‘trust The LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and HE will make straight your path.’ (Proverbs 3:5-6) As hard as it is to admit, we do not know everything, and we are not meant to, for we are not omniscient beings. This is where GOD comes in, HE wants us to depend on him for everything, our thought process is not the same as HIS for HE says ‘My ways are not your ways’. Therefore, we must place our trust in the one whose knowledge surpasses us all. Right at the centre of this dependence for GOD is trust and faith that he will be able to provide and protect the way a father would.  How can we expect to get through everyday life and its challenges if we do not place trust in GOD. We are all very limited in our ideas, thinking and understanding but GOD wants us to learn to trust in HIS infinite wisdom. How can we wholly depend on GOD? Jesus tells us in Matthew 18:3 to be like little children in order to enter the gates of Heaven. From infancy to toddlers to pre-teens and teenagers, they all have something in common, they are dependent on their parents for everything. This is the type of dependency we need when it comes to GOD. No matter how big or small, a child will always go to their parent; for a nappy change, for food or for money, why can’t we do the same. When we get older, we get excited to do things for ourselves and somehow we forget we still need GOD. Allowing yourself to go to GOD for everything places a level of trust that HE wants from us. When we choose to control the narrative of our life, it is like a hungry baby who won’t cry to his mum for milk, it doesn’t make sense.

I know its hard to let go and let GOD, but there is a way of making it easier and the main one is prayer. Praying is something that is expected of us, when it is mentioned in the Bible, it says ‘when’ and not ‘if’meaning it is a necessity. When we pray and surrender all our burdens and troubles to GOD, its like unlocking padlocks that are weighing us down. Now not every prayer will get answered straight away or maybe we are not receiving a clear answer, and I know this isn’t great for building trust, but that doesn’t mean stop praying, keep praying until you feel you have an answer. It may not be an answer that you want but sometimes we need that tough love that we will thank GOD for in the later run. Its like when you ask your dad if you can to go to a party and his answer is ‘I will think about it’,  until at the last minute he says no. I’ve had a few of those and they suck, but in receiving that answer, there is something that my dad was protecting me from whether that be spiritually or physically, and that’s what GOD is doing. With every delayed or unanswered prayer, don’t get disheartened, don’t disconnect, see that as GOD still working and trust the process.